


Love is

by jaxonkreide, NamelesslyNightlock



Category: Frozen (Disney Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Frozen (Disney Movies) Fusion, Angst, Asgardian Tony Stark, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Feels, Ice Powers, Jotunn Feels, Jotunn Loki (Marvel), Loki (Marvel) Feels, Loki (Marvel) Gets a Hug, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Loss of Control, M/M, Odin (Marvel)'s A+ Parenting, Pain, Sad, Sad Ending, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Trust
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-11-23 18:53:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20894471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaxonkreide/pseuds/jaxonkreide, https://archiveofourown.org/users/NamelesslyNightlock/pseuds/NamelesslyNightlock
Summary: …putting someone else’s needs before yours– and Anthony will always be there to pull Loki out of a storm. No matter the cost.





	Love is

**Author's Note:**

> A challenge was issued. This is the result.  
  
Art by **jaxonkreide**, fic by **NamelesslyNightlock**.  
  
This is also for jaxonkreide's **Inktober Day 4**— _Frozen._

Anthony had to bow his head against the storm as he walked, the cold stinging in his eyes, the wind so strong that it almost knocked him over. His teeth were chattering hard enough to give him a headache, and his armour was not enough to keep him warm– it had been a bright summer’s day only an hour earlier. He couldn’t see a thing, and despite having lived in Asgard for _centuries_, Anthony had been turned around by the snow and the _white_ far too many times to have even the slightest clue as to where he was.

But, where he was didn’t matter. All that he cared about was where he was _going_.

The further he walked, the worse the storm became, and that was the only indication he needed to tell him that he was headed in the right direction.

Because… Asgard didn’t _have_ storms. Not ever, not like this. When it had started in a sudden descent of snow and ice, the whole city had immediately jumped to the conclusion that they were under attack, that their age-old enemies had found a way to bridge between worlds and were mounting an assault on the Eternal City herself—

But then Thor had come running into the Palace Hall where most of the people had congregated, his four best friends on his heels– and they had slammed the door shut so tightly that Anthony had been able to feel the vibrations of it.

“It’s Loki,” Thor said, his voice grim– and then he continued before the muttering even had a chance to begin. “He’s the one causing all of this, and– we all know how powerful he is. The only thing we can do is wait this out.”

Queen Frigga came forward to embrace Thor in a hug, her face pale– and the Allfather turned to walk out of the Hall entirely.

And Anthony… well. Despite the fact that the moment someone noticed what he was doing, it was as if _everyone_ was shouting and yelling at him not to– and despite Thor grabbing his arm with enough force that it actually _hurt—_

Anthony tore from Thor’s grasp and he _ran_. He shoved the door open, pushing against the storm with all of his strength, and then he’d sprinted out into the violent tempest.

It didn’t matter that the wind was biting his bones, that the cold and the ice lashing against his skin made it feel like a thousand daggers were being shoved through his flesh. Anthony just kept on going, because _Loki needed him_– and that was a cause that Anthony would have crawled through the fiery pits of Muspelheim on his hands and _knees_ to fight for.

There was no eye of this storm– there was no brief moment of respite. Loki was in the centre of it all, but Anthony knew that the worst of it would be brewing _inside—_

But as he grew closer and closer to the worst of it, Anthony started to make out a familiar shape through the ice– a hunched over figure sitting on… _something_. A dark shadowy outline of someone that Anthony would have recognised _anywhere_.

“Loki!” Anthony shouted, trying to step closer– his feet actually _slipping_ against the icy ground as the wind forced him back. “Loki, listen to me!”

He was close enough now that he could_ just_ see as Loki’s head twitched up from where it had been held in his hands, and as he forced himself forward a few more steps—

Anthony’s breath caught in his throat.

Loki didn’t… Loki _was a…_

No. No, that didn’t matter. Loki was _Loki_, even if the eyes that were staring fearfully at Anthony were a bright red, even if there were sharp horns curling almost elegantly over his dark hair, even if his skin was an alarmingly recognisable shade of blue—

He was still Loki. And Anthony would still be there to _help_ him, no matter what.

This might be dangerous, and Anthony might be afraid. But this was… no, okay, this _was_ worse than anything Anthony had witnessed in the past, but otherwise it was no different. Loki’s seiðr had lashed out before, often in ways that were violent, but he had never hurt _Anthony_. Not even once.

The storm was the worst around Loki, but. Once Loki had _seen_ him, it had immediately began to lessen. Not the whole storm, not entirely– just around Anthony himself. Despite everything, that gave Anthony the hope that this would still pass, that after some time and some comfort Loki would calm and fall into Anthony’s arms just the same as he _always_ did.

So, despite his small falter – and despite the remaining force of the storm – Anthony’s last few steps were sure.

“Loki!” He called again, still shouting—

The answer was as sharp and biting as it was direct. “Do _not_ come any closer!”

Loki’s voice sounded broken and harsh, but– Anthony knew it wasn’t because of what he looked like. Loki was _upset—_

Which, of course, was made obvious enough by the storm, really. Anthony didn’t know _how_ this had happened, and he didn’t quite understand. But either Loki had been cursed, or… well, a curse could be broken. From the severity of the reaction it would seem that Loki _was_ this way—

But none of that _mattered_.

All that mattered was making sure that Loki – Anthony’s _Loki_, his best friend in the Nine, his love, his soon to be wedded _husband_ – was not on the brink of falling apart.

And that was something that Anthony was sure he would be able to manage. Making Loki smile was… something of a hobby, practised over _centuries_ of loving him.

So, he planted his feet, and he offered Loki the softest most reassuring smile he could muster given the fact that his cheeks felt as if they were beginning to freeze– and then he reminded Loki of the support he would always be able to lean upon. No matter what.

“What happened?” he asked. “Loki did– did someone hurt you? Is that why—”

“_No—”_ the word was little more than a bitten out cry, and Anthony felt something in his chest begin to crack. “No, it’s– I’m a _monster—”_

“You’re not,” Anthony said quickly– and he took another step forward. “You’re—”

“Don’t,” Loki cut in, his voice like the sound of a knife over slate as he flinched away. “Don’t, don’t touch me—”

“I won’t,” Anthony promised. “It’s okay—”

“I can’t control it,” Loki continued, his voice coming out in a rough sob. “I can’t– I’ve _tried_, but once it started, I—”

“Shhh, it’s okay,” Anthony soothed– and he knelt down in the snow, with still about a foot of space between them. It served the dual purpose of bringing him lower to the ground so he was slightly more out of the wind, and also proved to Loki that– “I’m not going to come any closer, all right? I’m going to stay right here until you tell me that it’s okay for me to move.”

“It’s– It’s not—” Loki’s breathing was harsh, and he buried his face in his sapphire hands once more. “I’m a _monster.”_

“No.” Anthony tilted his head– and he wanted nothing more than to pull Loki into his arms, but… that wasn’t want Loki wanted right now. So he kept his hands firmly on his thighs as he said, “No, you’re _not_. You’re already protecting me, Loki. _Look.” _

Loki’s eyes – red, red as blood but still _Loki’s eyes_ – widened slightly as he considered their surroundings. The storm was still raging all around, still whipping Loki’s hair into a frenzy, but… the air around Anthony was still, as if _he_ were in a protective bubble.

“You see? It’s okay,” Anthony said again, and he held out his hands– but still not reaching all the way, still _waiting_ so that Loki could make that final choice. “You’re not going to hurt me, Loki. I know it. We can wait out this storm _together, _just like we always do.”

Loki let out a whine, low and _longing_, as if believing Anthony was all that he wanted to do. And Anthony just waited, because, he _knew_ Loki. He knew his betrothed could be volatile, and that he could lash out– and he knew that this storm would pass, because they _always did_. Because Loki loved him, and… well, even if he _was_ a Frost Giant– that didn’t matter. It didn’t _matter_. Because—

“I love you, Loki. I _love_ you, and I trust you. I know that you won’t hurt me, I know you won’t ever. But you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. I’m here, okay?” He offered another smile, hoping that it would be enough. “Whatever you want. Whatever you need. Just, don’t close up on me, okay?”

Loki drew in a breath, something that was close to a rasp, but– those crimson eyes of his were slowly starting to lose the shard of fear. “I don’t _want_ to hurt you,” he whispered. “I don’t…”

“You see?” Anthony said– and he turned his hand so that it was palm up, his fingers slightly curled– and Loki untwisted his hand from around his waist, reaching oh so slowly toward Anthony.

Loki’s fingers were trembling—

_Loki_ was trembling, his whole body shaking harder than he ever had before. Because even while he felt like he was shattering, even though he was probably destroying half the city, Anthony’s expression was just so trusting, so open– so terribly adoring that it felt like it was just as capable of breaking Loki in half as the storm.

When he’d realised that he was a Frost Giant, Loki had thought that his_ whole life_, that everything he’d ever known was a lie. He wasn’t Loki _Odinson_, he wasn’t a prince of Asgard. He wasn’t Frigga’s son, he wasn’t Thor’s _brother_, he wasn’t– he wasn’t even _Aesir_.

But… Anthony wasn’t a lie. Anthony was _still here._

There Loki was, looking and _acting_ like the monster of their nightmares, and yet… Anthony could still look at him like _that,_ as if he were the most precious thing in the world_._ And if there was one thing in the world that Loki could trust, one thing he knew to be true– it was that he loved Anthony more than anything, and that to hurt him would tear him apart.

Once Anthony had pointed it out, the way that the storm was bending around him became obvious. Loki’s seiðr, the part of him that he had always known he possessed was redirecting the wind around Anthony, protecting him on instinct– just like it always had. Just like it always _would_.

Because Loki might not be an Aesir or a prince or a brother, but he _was_ still Anthony’s betrothed—

And so… as Anthony offered comfort, Loki reached _out_ with trembling fingers, the blue looking so dark against the white of the snow under their feet as his breath whispered in nervous puffs of mist between his lips. Anthony’s brown eyes were so trusting, and Loki smiled as he closed his own, leaning forward with a gentle sigh.

When their hands came together, Loki felt it as a shudder through his whole body. Anthony had been right– _this_ was what he needed. He slid his hand past Anthony’s fingers and over his wrist, Loki’s smile curving even further at the sound of Anthony’s sudden intake of breath as he curled his arm around Anthony’s shoulders.

“Thank you,” Loki whispered, resting his forehead to Anthony’s. “I love you too, Anthony. Always.”

Loki wasn’t too worried when Anthony didn’t say anything in return– he just tightened his arms around his love’s shoulders, waiting for Anthony to hug him back, to pull him into a close embrace that Loki knew from experience would help to melt all of his troubles away.

But… Anthony almost felt a little stiff. He wasn’t moving at all, and– he still wasn’t saying anything either, making not a single sound. Loki frowned, hoping that he hadn’t done anything wrong—

“Anthony?” Loki asked as he leaned back a little, his voice laced with concern. “I’m sorry, I, I should have made sure that you didn’t mind… if… Anthony?”

Anthony’s lips were parted slightly, a remaining echo of that last, _final_ breath. His skin was tinged blue and lined with frost, his eyes wide and unseeing– his whole body as still and unmoving as a block of ice.

But that was—

That _couldn’t—_

“_No,”_ Loki gasped– he pulled away to cup his shaking hands around Anthony’s cheeks, his heart beating so hard it _hurt_, his stomach rolling so much he felt like it was trying to turn inside out. “No, Anthony– _Anthony_, say something love, say– _anything, please—”_

He felt like he couldn’t breathe, like– like the storm was thickening the air, like the world had broken and nothing was making any sense.

Because Anthony…

_“Anthony—!”_

Loki’s voice cut off into a broken wail as he stared in _horror_ at his Anthony, his _love_ frozen completely solid.

And then, Loki _screamed._

The storm _exploded_ out of him, ripping and tearing and _destroying_, making it so that the rest of the world would match the mangled remains of the broken muscle screeching inside his chest.

So he screamed, he _broke, _his soul shattering into a thousand sharp pieces that spread through the sky along with the snow that tore from this horrible, _terrible_, cursed power that raged and ruined and—

And—

And Anthony’s shoulders were hard and cold, the temperature of him low enough that even Loki could feel it.

Anthony had trusted him, had reached for him with loving words and a gentle smile. And now… Anthony would never smile again, his lips frozen in that final look of surprise, his brown eyes wide, still staring at Loki even though they were glazed over with a layer of ice.

And it _was_ surprise– not horror, nor even _fear._ Just… as if he had been caught out, had whispered only an _oh_ upon realising that Loki was about to steal the last of his life away.

Loki’s arms tightened around Anthony’s solid shoulders, shaking with hitched cries at the knowledge that _he_ was the one who had ended Anthony’s life. And a for a moment, he wondered, if, if maybe he could– maybe he could use his seiðr to somehow, thaw him—

Even before he tried, Loki knew that it was hopeless, that even if his seiðr was powerful enough to break through the monstrous Jötunn power, Anthony would already be dead. No one could survive such temperatures. No one, other than a Frost Giant.

But Loki tried anyway, his seiðr whipping out of him in surges of power, a desperate, _hopeless_ attempt because he _had_ to, because he didn’t have anything else. But of course… Anthony remained frozen, and Loki was left clinging to him with his last remaining slivers of strength.

And as his screams gave way to injured whimpers, the storm began to dissipate– a cruel twist of irony that might have made Loki shatter further, had there been anything left of him to break. When everything else had been revealed as a lie, Anthony was all that he’d had– and now, he had destroyed his love as well. And as he wept, his skin began to fade from blue to cream, the colour leeching away from his body just as it was from the world now that Anthony was no longer a part of it.

The word sorry would never be enough, but Loki said it anyway, twisting it through anguished sobs and horrified cries that painted the portrait of the rest of his life—

Because the storm was over, but the turmoil inside Loki’s heart felt like it would never stop tearing him apart.

**Author's Note:**

> The art for this fic can be found on tumblr [here.](https://jaxonkreide.tumblr.com/post/188130577659/day-4-freeze-i-did-a-collab-with)


End file.
